In the modern Congress, it’s almost unheard of for the House to vote on 100-plus amendments to a bill, as the chamber will do Thursday and Friday during debate on a reauthorization of the Federal Aviation Administration.

Rank-and-file members had little explanation for the sudden procedural openness, although some speculated it was related to the bipartisan nature of the FAA measure and the availability of floor time given the slim election-year legislative agenda.

Speaker Paul D. Ryan wants to break an infrastructure overhaul into pieces, moving five to six bills before the August recess. (Bill Clark/CQ Roll Call file photo)

A key piece of the Republicans’ 2018 legislative agenda is shape-shifting.

Speaker Paul D. Ryan’s pronouncement last week that an infrastructure overhaul will be tackled in multiple bills serves a dual purpose: It keeps hope for one of the president’s top policy priorities alive, while setting more realistic expectations for what will get done this midterm election year.

Flanked by the pilot who successfully landed a commercial airliner on the Hudson River, Sen. Barbara Boxer threatened Tuesday to stall a pending reauthorization of aviation policy over rest-time requirements for cargo pilots.

"We just need a vote on this, and you know if people want to come down in the well and vote the wrong way on safety, then they have shown themselves to be more concerned with the special economic interests, frankly, than the lives of the people that are being put at risk," Boxer said. "I'm going to use every tool at my disposal to take to the floor, and I hope others will join me."

Senate Democrats continued their push to boost airport security after the terrorist attacks in Brussels, touting three amendments Tuesday that could tighten things up outside screening checkpoints.

Homeland Security Jeh Johnson joined senators in advocating for the measures that increase dog teams, active shooter preparedness and perimeter security as amendments to the Federal Aviation Administration reauthorization that the Senate will begin debating soon.

Sen. Ted Cruz is asking the Federal Aviation Administration what it's doing to prevent the spread of Ebola after the first U.S. diagnosis, which came in his home state.

"Given the severity of this virus and the fact that its spread to Texas has been associated with travel, it is imperative that the FAA take every available precaution in preventing additional cases from arriving in the United States. As you may be aware, several African nations have already restricted or banned air travel to countries with confirmed cases of the Ebola virus," the Texas Republican wrote in a letter to FAA chief Michael P. Huerta. "British Airways, Emirates Airlines and Kenya Airways have also suspended flights due to the rising death toll and deteriorating public health situation in Ebola-stricken countries."